Straw-cutter.



No. 758,792. PATENTED MAY 3, 1904. D. A. & J. F. STEWART.

STRAW CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 20. 1901.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- @m/ LA/KM N0 MODEL.

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PATENTBD MAY 3, 1904.

D. A. 8: J. F. STEWART. STRAW CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 20. 1901.

3 SHEETS-SEBET 2.

PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

D. A. & J. F. STEWART.

STRAW CUTTER.

APPLICATION rum) DEC. 20. 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID ALBERT STEWAR" AND JOHN FERGUSON STEWART, OF MOLES- WORTH, CANADA.

STRAW-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,792, dated May 3,1904.

Application filed December 20, 1901. Seria1N0.86,676. momma.) i

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DAVID ALBERT STEW- ART, manufacturer, and JOHNFERGUSON STEWART, farmer, both of the village of Molesworth, in thecounty of Huron, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Straw- Cutters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in straw-cutters; and the objectof the invention is to devise a simple attachment to an ordinarythreshing-machine whereby the straw may be cut as it passes out of themachine without having to feed the same manually after it has beenstacked away, and thus an economy effected in both time and labor; andit consists, essentially, of two endless carrier feed-belts, which aresuitably secured to the end of the frame opposite the straw-deck and acutter provided with a suitable blower and easing, the outer ends of thefeed-belt being suitably held together and supported on the casing ofthe cutter and the parts being otherwise arranged and constructed indetail as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the strawdelivery end of athreshing-machine, showing our attachment. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection through the machine, the rotary cuttingknife, however, beingshown in end elevation. Fig. 2 is a view of a detail. Fig. 3 is aviewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing, however, in dotted lines the low position ofsome of the parts. Fig. & is a detail View of the knife-bar and itssupport.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in each figure.

A is the frame of the threshing-machine, the end portion only of whichis shown.

A represents the longitudinal timbers of the frame A, which areconnected together at the outer end by the cross-beams A A Upon thecross-beams A is supported the frame B of the straw-cutting attachment.

C is the blower, which is suitably supported in the frame B and isprovided with an exitspout c.

c is a deflecting-plate in the blower, and c is a similardeflecting-plate.

D is the knife-whecl, which comprises the arms (Z and the blades d,secured to the ends thereof. The blades at one end of the knifewheel areinclined in one direction, and the blades at the opposite end areoppositely inclined or obliquely set. The shaft (Z of the knife-wheel issupported at the end in suitable bearings.

E is the straw-deck, from which the straw passes into our attachment.

F is the upper feed-belt, composed of endless bands having cross-slatsattached thereto, the said bands being supported on suitable pulleysffon the shafts 2 and 3, respectively.

F indicates the lower feed-belt, which is made up of endless bandsprovided with crossslats f.

The shafts 2 and L are journaled in suitable bearings in the sides ofthe frame of the threshing-machine and are provided with end pulleys 6and T, which derive motion by suitable belts from the maindriving-pulleys of the machine.

G and G are the side bars of the endless-feedbelt frames. The shafts 2and t extend through such side bars at the top, and the shafts 3 and 5extend through them near the discharge end, being suitably journaledtherein.

G represents flaring hopper-shaped sides secured to the side bars (Jrand G by suitable brackets, as indicated, and are wider at the feedingend of the straw than at the discharge end, so that the straw willreadily pass between the endless feed-belts from the strawdeck.

6 and 7 are feeding-rolls having shafts 8 and 9, which are journaled inthe side bars G and G. The lower feeding-roll 7 is driven by thesprocket chain 10, connecting the sprocket-wheels l1 and 12 on theshafts 5 and 9, respectively. The feeding-roll 6 is driven by thesprocket chain 13, connecting the sprocket-wheel 1a with thesprocket-wheel 15 on the opposite ends of the shafts 3 and 8.

H is a knife-bar which is supported at the ends on the brackets it atthe top of the frame B.

I represents extension-bars secured to the bottom of the bars G andsecurely bolted to the brackets it by the bolts 2'. The position shownin the drawings is the normal position when my attachment is used inconnection with the cutting of the straw.

J is a chute-plate which is pivoted or hinged below the knife-bar H andnormally extends down and rests upon the deflecting-plate 0.

K represents rods which extend through the side bars G and G, beingsecurely held in the upper side bars and depending below the lower sidebars. The lower ends of the rods K are provided with nuts and spiralsprings in, gxtending between the nuts and the-lower side ars.

It will be noticed that the knife-bar H is adjustably held in positionby means of the bolts H, which extend through the slots 72/3 in thebrackets h, and the set-screws if, which extend through a rib if atright angles to the bracket h, attached to or forming part of thebracket h. It will thus be seen that the knife-bar may be readily set ina proper relative position to the blades of the rotating knife-wheel.The straw passes from the straw-deck through the throat formed betweenthe endless feedbelts, being carried downwardly by such feedbelts, whichcarry the straw between the rollers 6 and 7, whence the straw passesthrough to the knife-wheel, where it is cut up and passes along thechute-plate J to the bottom of the blast-tube of the blower, the blastfrom which carries it out through any suitable conveying means to theplace of deposit. Should it be desired not to cut the straw, thefeed-belts may be lowered by taking out the bolt 2', so that theprojecting bars 21 on the upper edge of the bars G may rest upon theknife-bar H. The straw will now pass from the feed-belts under thechute-plate J, which will be lifted by the pressure from the straw. Thestraw will pass out between the said chute-plate J and the deflector cand thus the straw will not come in contact with the cutter. Underordinary circumstances when the straw is being fed of course the springsit give sufliciently in order to prevent any choking of the strawbetween the feed-rollers 6 and 7 as it passes to the knife.

What we claim as our invention is 1. The combination with the straw-deckof a threshing-machine the straw-cutting attachment comprising theknife-wheel and knife bar, and the endless bands and discharge-rollersforming a conveying means from the strawdeck to the knife-wheel, of theblower having the spout thereof extending underneath the knife-wheel anda swinging deflecting-plate hinged in proximity to said rollers fordirecting the straw into the blast from the blower located in front ofthe knife-wheel beneath the knife-bar as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination in a straw-cutter, cutting means, a pair of endlessaprons for delivering 5 the straw to the cutters, supports for saidaprons, means for adjusting the supports with the aprons thereon inrelation to the cutting means whereby the straw may be directed to thecutting means or aside therefrom, whereby the straw may either be cut ordelivered uncut at will and yielding means for holding the supportstogether at their ends adjacent to the cutting means, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination, in a strawcutter, cutting means, a pair of endlessaprons for delivering the straw to the cutters, supports for saidaprons, means for adjusting the supports'with the aprons thereon inrelation to the cutting means whereby the straw may be directed to thecutting means or aside therefrom, whereby the straw may either be cut ordelivered uncut at will and yielding means for holding the supportstogether at their ends adjacent to the cutting means, said yieldingmeans comprising a spring carried by the supports so that the saidspring will be efiective in all positions of the aprons in relation tothe cutting means, substantially as described.

4. In a straw-cutter, the combination with cutting means, of a pair ofbelts, means for causing their contiguous surfaces to move in the samedirection, and means whereby said pair of feed-belts may be adjustedeither to direct the straw to the cutter, or aside therefrom; wherebythe straw may be either cut or delivered uncut.

5. In a straw-cutter, the combination with cutting means of a pair ofbelts, means for causing their contiguous surfaces to move in the samedirection, means whereby said pair of feed-belts may be adjusted eitherto direct the straw to the cutter or aside therefrom; whereby the strawmay be either cut or delivered uncut, bars supporting the feed-belts anda connection between the bars consisting of a rod and a spiral spring onthe said rod, said rod being secured to one of the bars and extendingbeyond the other bar with the spring on the extended end of the rod,said spring serving to draw the two bars together substantially asdescribed.

6. In a straw-cutter the combination of a stationary knife, rotaryknives, means for feeding the straw to the knives, a grindingrollerarranged on the side of the rotary knives opposite to that upon whichthe fixed knife is located, an exit-spout for the straw extending underthe rotary knives and the grinding-roll and means for moving thegrinding-roller to and from the rotary knives, substantially asdescribed.

DAVID ALBERT STEWART. JOHN FERGUSON STEWART.

Witnesses:

GEO. BRAY, MYRTLE LAUDERKIN.

